Mike D'Antoni on loss to Grizzlies: 'We ran out of steam'

The Houston Rockets dropped their second game of a road trip back-to-back Saturday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies played incredibly well but the Rockets were also suffering from a number of injuries – guys were playing fatigued and hurt. Mike D’Antoni acknowledged this postgame and just saw the minutes boiling over into exhaustion for the Rockets.

“I thought we ran out of steam. We’ve got guys playing a lot of minutes and we lost our legs and when you don’t have legs, it’s tough. You know, James got tired, and on to the next game. It’s one of those games that I look at it for a second, figure it out and just move on.

The straw that broke the camel’s back is when Eric couldn’t go tonight. If Eric could’ve went, that would’ve given us one more guy that could make a play. When you don’t have that, it’s a snowballed way, and, they’re good so a little cotton ball of everything.”

With injuries plaguing the roster from top to bottom, mixed with a very tight rotation, the Rockets just need a chance to rest and relax. In the 12 days of the NBA season, the Rockets have played 7 games including five games on the road. The injuries to key players have caused everyone play extended minutes and, given Houston’s pace on the court, has really taken a toll on them. The Rockets will only have a day of rest as they travel back to Houston to face the Philadelphia 76ers following Saturday’s loss. The 76ers gave the Rockets a tough test on Wednesday as it took an Eric Gordon buzzer-beater to knock them off.